Corsair Dominator Titanium First Edition DDR5-7200 32GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review

TweakTown's Rating: 91%

The Bottom Line

Even with the mediocre performance and cost considerations, you will not find another set of DDR5 memory like this on the market. While the First Edition being limited is a selling point, it is the optional tops and tools that will likely sway most.

Pros

• + 11 addressable RGB LEDs
• + Swappable top bar
• + iCUE software controllable
• + Weight

Cons

• - iCUE
• - Performance in class

Should you buy it?

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Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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Anyone building PCs knows the name Corsair, and if you have been at it a while, you will recall many of the Dominator kits to come out over those years. We used to love the red and black Dominator GT kits from the old days, and while many came along, it wasn't until the early Dominator Platinum kits that Corsair stepped outside their normal box. The best part about the Platinum series is that not only did they offer a vanilla version, we also saw a ROG tuned set of RAM; but we also got the orange and blue Dominator Platinum Special Edition that stood out against anything else on the market at that time.

Speaking 0of kits of RAM that stand out in the market, we have yet another from Corsair in hand at the moment, and it is the first we have ever seen to offer what this kit has in store for us. Corsair has decided to change the precious metal in the title to something typically regarded as inferior to the durability of platinum but still has a nice ring to it. While many may expect the same old story with a new name, we can assure you that Corsair has come up with something nearly ingenious and well worth looking at.

While a bit vague so far, we strongly urge you to look at the latest release from Corsair with their Dominator Titanium. With a wide range of speed and density options available, there is a kit for every demand you may have in DDR5, yet it still packs in a bunch of goodies to deliver RAM in a way we have never seen before. Not only does the RAM itself hold a few tricks up its sleeves, but the accouterments that come along with it are also welcomed and well above what we see offered anywhere else.

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The Corsair Dominator First Edition sticks can be had within a speed range of 6000 MHz to 7200 MHz in 32GB, 64GB, and 48GB densities. However, there will be two versions. There are the Dominator Platinum First Edition sticks we have. Then there is Dominator Titanium, which has a wider range of speeds and densities but is not a limited edition as the First Edition kits are. Out of all of the options to be had, we picked the fastest of the Dominator Titanium First Edition kits, the set of CMP32GX5M2X7200C34FEW.

Our Corsair Dominator Platinum First Edition set comes in white, but there is always the black option for Intel users. Conversely, AMD users will have a gray option tuned specifically for that side of the fence. The heat spreaders are tall and made of aluminum, and like some others, are screwed together when stuck to the ICs. Specifically, our Dominator Titanium First Edition set shipped to us with 32GB of density. As the product number alludes, it is 7200 MHz with a timing set of 34-44-44-96 2T, but using 1.45V for the XMP 3.0 profile. Beyond that is the size, where we can see the 56.75mm height, some 20mm taller than many other kits. There is also the weight of 77 grams per stick, meaning there is a bunch of aluminum to help remove heat from these kits. Lastly, they are covered with a limited lifetime warranty, should any issues arise.

In the past, no matter which set of Dominator RAM we are speaking of, there has always been a pretty hefty price premium to go along with them. However, you will be pleased to see where they fall with the release of these Dominator Titanium First Edition kits. We are told that obtaining the 32GB kit of 7200 MHz we have will run you $234.99, which seems like an astounding deal on paper. However, there is one more thing to add. If you hunt these down in stores or e-tailers, you will be looking at the Dominator Titanium. You can only get the First Edition through the Corsair store. However, once you see what you are getting, you can choose a numbered kit or one of many standard options.

Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 7200MHz CL34

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$194.99	$194.99	-	-	Buy
	$194.99	$194.99	$194.99	$194.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 4/26/2024 at 10:12 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Packaging and Corsair Dominator Titanium First Edition

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Corsair opts to keep things simple on the outside of the packaging. We received a big sturdy box which is matte black. On the front of which, Corsair uses metallic, prismatic lettering to display the logo and the name of these sticks.

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As we spin the box around, we can see that the back of the box is also simplified. We get the name of the kit at the top, this time followed by an iCUE icon. At the bottom is the legal information and a product sticker, which denotes what is inside this box.

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Along with the kit we will be testing, we found a small portion of Corsairs DIY Precision toolkit. We get a metal driver, seen above, with a flat head, hex head, and Phillips head bit. Only the hex bit is needed for the RAM, but sadly, to get inside the Dominators, you will need another H1.5mm bit.

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In another small box is a set of tops for the heat spreaders. The Dominator Titanium ships with RGB tops, but you can choose what to run. The titanium-colored fins fit the name and are a throwback to the Platinum kits and those Dom GTs of years gone by. For those with 3D printers, you can print custom tops and use the pair of mounting holes to secure whatever you design.

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Fresh from their plastic containers that rest in dense foam to your door are the Dominator Titanium First Edition sticks you have been waiting to see. While they can be had in black, we opted for the white version, which is stunning but tall. The contrast of the black PCB and white spreaders is a great fit for our test rig, and with optional tops, those who dislike RGB have a solution.

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We got much closer to the right end of the stick for various reasons. First is so you can see the //DHX moniker found under one of the screws that allows the removal of the heat spreaders. Looking slightly lower, you can also see serial number 024 of the First Edition version. The standard option will be the same, minus this three-digit number.

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The back of the sticks are identical, but the product sticker is in the middle of the heat spreader. On the sticker, we get the model, where they are made, type, density, speed, timings, voltage, version (5.43.01), and the serial number, all for the end-user to easily access.

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Beyond the shape of the heat spreaders, there isn't any styling, as the surface is flat, only angled a bit near the ends. The RGB tops offer a pair of lines on either side, allowing the eleven controllable LEDs to shine through and flood the rest of the system with ambient light.

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At the top, we find the Dominator name painted in the center of the RGB diffuser. The area surrounding the name will be illuminated, as well as the small circles around the screws holding these tops in place securely to the rest of the sticks.

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If you plan to swap the tops, remove the screws from either end with the provided hex bit. Once removed, grab the top portion of the RGB version in the center and gently pull it from the rest of the stick. There is a tab on the PCB and a special connector in the top portion, which allows the RGB tops to work and makes them removable without wires or tiny ribbon cables.

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Once the RGB tops are out of the way and the optional finned tops are installed, you get this. Notice, too, that the fins are not level across the top, as some poke out above the sides, helping to grab whatever air is flowing past to help cool the ICs and PMIC underneath.

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We have disassembled our Dominator Titanium First Edition so you can look around. The PCB contains everything we expect to see, along with some thicker foam spacer pads to make the spreaders more secure, while the thermal pads for the ICs and the PMIc are clearly visible on the inside of the heat spreader.

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Thaiphoon Burner is back, and with it, we can see that Corsair opted for SK Hynix H5CG48EABDX018 ICs under the hood. We can also see that richtek makes the PMIC, and while there is a long model number, the chip says 0P=A0 on it.

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Installed on the Z790 APEX, the Dominator Titanium First Edition sticks perfectly match the theme. All that white, with subtle hints of black from the name and logo, blends right in. Of course, you could also be looking at the titanium-colored fins rather than the RGB diffusers we left on them for show.

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Once powered, all eleven RGB LEDs start with a mode with the light beginning in the center, expanding to the edges, and shrinking back, all while revolving colors. You have options of iCUE for finite control of the LEDs, but they can also be controlled by motherboard software, just not at the same level as iCUE.

Test System Details

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To obtain the Intel CPU-Z screenshots, you will see directly following this image; this is the system we used to do it, as well as in getting the results seen in the following pages. Thanks to Intel, be quiet!, ASUS, MSI, Corsair, and Sabrent for supporting us with this venture. Detailed specifications of the system can be found below.

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We have what you will find when enabling the initial XMP profile, as two are available. Using what the box says we should, we set the 7200MHz option. Doing so, we get the 34-44-44-96 2T timings we expected, and the VDIMM is set at 1.45V. Additionally, our SA was tuned to 1.281V, and the MC was set to 1.296V. Looking at the SPD table, you can see that the second option for XMP offers 7400 MHz of speed but slightly more relaxed timings.

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We added a tenth of a volt across the board and started to see how low the timings would go with 7200 MHz of speed. We did not get far but did find the Dominator Titanium First Edition we have to run stably at 32-42-42-96 2T.

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On the flip side, while using additional voltage, we increased the speed to see where it stops. We are pleased to be able to run 7600 MHz with the XMP timing set. Corsair took a safer route for compatibility with the XMP2 profile for broader compatibility. Still, with what we have seen, there is more left in the tank than Corsair delivers with either profile.

Chad's Intel DDR5 Dual-Channel Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Maximus Z790 APEX - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i7 13700K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming Trio 24G - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS-G 4TB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Custom Thermaltake Core P3 TG
• Power Supply: be quiet! DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Home - Buy from Amazon

Intel Performance

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Using AIDA read performance to start things off, Corsair does rather well. The 109,172 MB/s of the XMP profile lands Corsair slightly behind the Fury Renegade. We could only gain 714 MB/s by tightening the timings, but we obtained a boost of 6708 MB/s with an additional 400 MHz of speed.

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The write performance of the Dominator Titanium FE is not as good as the read performance, as Corsair falls behind Kingston, XPG, TEAM, Patriot, and even slower Corsair Vengeance. Starting at 94,449 MB/s is a rough start. Reducing the timings was of little help, but it does deliver 666 MB/s over XMP. But we get a healthy 5352 MB/s boost with more speed in the mix.

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We see the XMP profile reacting the same in copy performance as in the previous metric. Still behind most of the competition at 97,711 MB/s, there isn't much to get excited about. This time, however, we gained 14,712 MB/s with tighter timings. More speed was not as productive this time, as we see 4991 MB/s advantage running with more speed than XMP provided.

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We cannot complain about latency as Corsair mixes it up with the rest of its direct competition. While not the best of the 7200 MHz latencies, it is darn close, and we have nothing to complain about. We noticed that changing the timings increased latency over XMP, but we reached the top of the chart with the added speed.

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Setting the XMP profile delivered the fastest Super Pi time, at five minutes and eight seconds, to complete 32M testing. Reducing timings or adding speed resulted in worse times to finish, leaving Corsair behind Patriot and TEAM.

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As it tends to do, PCMark 10 shakes things up and has the Dominator Titanium FE in the middle of the pack, well behind most of its direct competition. Again, messing with the timings or adding speed did not result in anything, as we see the lower scores for those runs, landing lower in the chart.

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Compressing files is something that seems to favor the Corsair Dominator Titanium FE. While the XMP results are almost even with XPG, TEAM, and Patriot still do better. However, with this test, reducing timings gets us three seconds back, while added speed gets us ten seconds off the time to complete.

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Transcoding is not something this kit excels at. Near the bottom is where the XMP profile ends up, mixing it up with 5600 MHz kits. We improved the time by tightening the timings and got the most from adding speed, but we found other 7200 MHz kits in the chart doing better than any of the options we used with Corsair.

Final Thoughts

Right up front, we have to give props to Corsair for designing and implementing features in the Dominator Titanium series of RAM. There is no other kit so well equipped on the market. We love the idea of running the RGB if it suits the build and having an option if RGB is not your thing. We also like the idea of the fins having a thermal pad on the bottom so that you can add a fan and drop thermals when you are trying for crazy overclocking results with added voltage, as that is where most DDR5 gets toasty warm and on the verge of instability. Along with the optional tops and potential to 3D print whatever you'd like, we also get a screwdriver set that works with this RAM and offers standard bits so that users can use it on anything they choose, not just the RAM.

Beyond the initial cool factor and the limited edition status of the First Edition sticks, Corsair uses top-tier components. They have done a good job of tuning them to their best abilities. While we gained some headway by overclocking in some metrics, many showed the XMP profile as the better option. We also like that Corsair offers a second XMP profile with added speed, although with looser timings. However, we do not feel that performance is the reason to get the Dominator Titanium and the charts we covered back that up. Too often, we saw Patriot, TEAM, XPG, and Kingston ahead of the Corsair offering, and some of them have worse timings at the same speed yet can deliver more performance.

Back in the day, the Corsair Dominator line meant something. It was the best of the best, or at least seemed so at the time. As the years have gone by, we have seen the Vengeance line surpass the Dominators in speed offerings in DDR4, and now it seems more like any other series of sticks from anyone. While this kit is the most well-equipped offering we have seen to date, performance is the reason to look for DDR5 this fast, and we do not feel Corsair even took that into account.

Unlike in days past, Corsair has adjusted the price to align with what we see. In the past, to obtain the Dominator line of memory, you had to dig very deep into your pocket to get a set. However, with the Dominator Titanium First Edition, the price is reasonable from some perspective, at $234.99. Granted, this is still nearly twice the price of the Trident Z RGB, but it offers much more in the box. Considering the older Dominator Platinum RGB cost $209,99, we see where Corsair was going with the Titanium FE. However, with the lackluster performance we received from it, we feel the price is still too high for the market.